A Schenectady man convicted of raping 3- and 12-year-old girls was sentenced Thursday to 75 years to life in prison Wednesday.

My colleague Paul Nelson reports that in a note to the court, Harold Vandebogart said his conviction was a “grave injustice,” likened it to him being murdered and added that “What I did receive I wouldn’t have expected from Nazi Germany.”

The investigation began after Vandebogart took pictures with his BlackBerry while raping the 3-year-old girl and later sent some of them to a woman he had only been dating for about two days. The woman contacted police, who also learned of the 12-year-old victim during their investigation.

Visiting Schenectady County Judge Richard Giardino Thursday called Harold Vandebogart’s criticism “off-base” and told the defendant that for his crime, he would likely not be in court and would have been subjected to a much harsher penalty in Nazi Germany.

The mother of the younger victim also addressed the court.

“It’s been really hard on us and we can’t really trust anyone anymore,” she said, adding that she hoped the defendant would never get out of prison.

Defense attorney Kent Gebert had pleaded Thursday that any sentence his client receive be concurrent so the man could get treated for his problems and get out.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lorusso argued that Vandebogart was incorrigible.

“Frankly sir, the acts are despicable and your lack of remorse and responsibility are disturbing,” Giardino concluded.

16 Responses

He is so spectacularly wrong. The Nazis would have simply taken him outside and shot him. Personally, I think that would be too humane for this animal. Life in prison, in the general population, with everyone there knowing what he did, seems like a fitting punishment.

this one is a winner hey..hey if they rape him in prison though even if i was a prisoner i would’nt touch him, maybe they can record it on his blackberry.. take your punishment do on to yourself as you did those little girls ya sick deranged bastard.

I didn’t catch how old this idiot was? The reason behind that is think about all the times he probably committed simiiar acts and didn’t get caught.

Outright execution would be the easy way out for this POS, I vote to make him sit in a cell, with as little time out of it as possible, for 75 years. No tv, no reading material, except the bible, Give him time to consider what he did was an abomination.

If our crimial justice system and the wimps who support it had the courage to give him the death penalty than that would have been truly just desserts for this man..Nazi’s treatment of the Jew’s aside, they would have hung the man within 24 hours of his sentencing..But here we the taxpayers will be forced by the pink panty liberals to pay for his extended vacation with Color TV. free Food and Medical Care and a free Funeral upon his demise….

Sound like a plan eddie. Let’s put ’em all to death. I mean no one in the US Justice System has ever been wrongfully convicted, right? Let’s kill ’em all. Felons, misdemeanors, everyone. Rape, you die. Steal, dead meat. Jaywalk, off with their head. Eddie for executioner!

Not a bad idea D2 but I think he was specifically talking about child molesters. Warms my heart that my tax dollars will make sure this guy is fed and clothed and has a bed to sleep in. Barf! Bring back the death penalty and maybe someone will think twice about murdering someone or raping a child.